There wasn't a bird on a single thing

Not this last weekend but the weekend prior, I went to Portland for my May half. I'm not sure if that means I'm out of the timeframe where this trip is blogable but the hell with rules, let's do this!

Portland was 5 of 12 and the first of many Rock N Roll races I'll be running this year. I was a bit hesitant to sign up for so many Rock N Roll races without ever running one before, but I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best since buying their tour pass was the cheapest way to get through this year. I wasn't a huge fan of the set up of the Portland starting corral but that was really my only complaint. Well, the carpet all the way across the Hawthorne Bridge was kind of crappy since it absorbed a lot of your foot strike and made it feel like your shoes were sticking to it, but I guess it was better than the grate it was covering? So overall the race was good: well supported, the cheerleading squads along the way were cute, and handing out gu at one water stop was a nice touch (I didn't take it since I was using baby food pouches this runOMG WHAT HAVE I BECOME?)

I really need to mention how amazing it was to get to finish line and see so many people there cheering for the runners. Since this was my first race post-Boston I really didn't know what to expect, but it was as crowded as every other race I've run. Rhi (who let me stay at her house and play with her adorable Henry) came out to the finish line and it was amazing to see a face I recognized. It really meant so much more this time that people were there and showing support. Thank you strangers and Rhi!

Besides running, I also did a lot of eating in Portland. Like a scary large amount of eating. Rhi, being very Portland passionate and a food lover, knew all the best places to take me. 

First up was Deschutes Brewery, where we had an amazing pretzel fondue and a beer sampler! 

Yup, that was lunch for just two people. And yup, it was delicious. 

We went and tried on workout clothes after this meal because when you're tipsy and bloated is totally the best time to try on spandex. 

The night before my race we tried to go to Pok Pok for the fish sauce wings since I've been dreaming about them for years now, but the wait was two hours. Instead we walked across the street to Whiskey Soda Lounge where you can order the wings and not have to wait an insane amount of time. I also enjoyed a Hunny cocktail, which is grapefruit juice, lime, Som honey drinking vinegar, and tequila. Honestly, there's no better way to hydrate pre-race than a cocktail. 

After the race I refueled with some pork and cheese curd fries with cole slaw. And some fried hand pies that I sadly took only two bites out of and then forgot in Rhi's fridge. I would have gladly packed those hand pies up for the flight home. 

And because that wasn't enough refueling, that night Rhi and her husband took me out to a Japanese pub where I had the most amazing ribs and burger. 

Seriously not joking about that burger. It was amazing. Also, being able to get a giant burger and sushi under the same roof? Perfection. 

Next month I'm off to Seattle where I'll be able to see more friends while I put more miles under my feet. If it's half as much fun as Portland then it will be absolutely amazing. 

caffeinated butter juice

I don't know how to tell you this delicately without you thinking I've lost my damn mind so I'll just spit it out: I've been drinking bulletproof coffee. Does that mean nothing to you? Brace yourself, here it is:

So yeah, coffee with butter. And oil. I'm drinking that shit. I think I might have hit my head pretty hard recently and I don't remember it because why else would I be drinking this? Oh, because people on the internet were doing it and I'm a lemming. Awesome, where's the nearest cliff?

A while back I came across the recipe for bulletproof coffee and I'm pretty sure I sent it to various friends with the comment "Paleo people are batshit crazy!" And I still stand by that statement and accept that this now makes me batshit crazy too. Do I like the coffee? Maybe. Kinda. I don't know. I mean, it's supposed to be magical and at this point, I'm drinking it waiting for the magic to happen. 

I find I'm in a similar situation I was in during my Whole30. That program claims that around day 16 you start to feel amazing. Stronger! Thinner! An all around better human! Everyone wants to feel awesome so I committed to the program and ended up feeling kind of normal the whole time. Sure, I became ridiculously cranky as they predicted but instead of swinging over to Super Human, I just slowly swung back to my normal self. I went through the trouble of making almond milk for that? Ugh.

Jump ahead to my current life and a friend on Twitter was raving about her daily bulletproof coffee. She was losing weight drinking butter! She was performing better at Crossfit! Of course I immediately thought "I want those things too! Pass me the caffeinated butter juice!" 

I've been having one cup every morning for about two weeks and once again there's no tiger blood. No increased strength. I feel exactly the same. I have no idea how long I'll continue this odd morning routine as grassfed butter isn't cheap and neither is the special MCT oil needed. On the other hand, today I came across this infographic and hell if I know how much of it is accurate, but it is interesting. 

So there you have it, I'm drinking butter in my coffee. I guess my next move will be to cut out the middle man and straight up have a stick of butter for breakfast. But only grassfed butter. Anything less than that would just be crazy.